#of the meteor shower. maybe the acceptance is there but surely the grief of losing someone that you're that close with hit her a while late

[fishareglorious]

Post-Mor Pankh where Kaalaa Baunaa and Shamane hang out sometimes and something Shamane does just. reminds Kaalaa deeply of Kumar. The siblings haven't met each other in literal decades aside from the latter's final moments, but the fact that they're related is there, mirroring each other in the way Shamane goes cocky or makes tea or some other little idiosyncrasy, and after she notices, Kaalaa Baunaa is hit full speed with missing Kumar.

[bbrandy2002]

My Love

Chapter Two-There You'll Be

Book: The Royal Heir

Liam x Riley

Series Summary: After losing the love of his life, Liam is left with a newborn daughter and a council that demands he endure another social season quickly. Not wanting to move on, he gets help from an unlikely ally-his late wife.

C/N: It wont always be like this, that's all I'm saying. This is angsty!!!

_____________

The capital city was peaceful as it laid under a veil of darkness. The moon glowed brightly in a cloudless sky, the stars glistened like clusters of white diamonds and sapphires and the ebb and flow of the Mediterranean tide gave off a calming lull. Spring was in full bloom and the typical, crisp night winds were just beginning to have a touch of warmth. It was a time for renewal and rebirth in Cordonia-tiny seeds and saplings sprouting into little blossoms.

Meanwhile, in a private, heavily guarded section of the hospital, was a room and a shattered heart. Monitors were shut off, silencing its deafening sounds, tubes removed, and lights dimmed to match the mood within its walls. Staff began collecting equipment and their distraught selves, leaving Liam behind to hover over Riley’s bedside, alone.

He couldn't take his heavily, tearful eyes off her, nor did he dare try. As he stood next to her bed in a complete daze, trying to make any kind of sense of what just took place, he reached out for her tiny hand. For a moment he just held it in his; rubbing his thumb gently along the outside of her palm, wanting desperately to feel her squeeze back, even if just slightly. 

This wasn't the first time he felt the consequences of an unexpected loss, yet, this...this was different than his mothers. The woman who gave him everything he ever dreamed of- the chance to be himself, an unconditional love, a real marriage and a family- was somehow gone. 

Liam leaned down and lifted the dainty hand he held in his, up to his lips, placing a soft kiss over her knuckles.

"And here we wait", Riley exclaimed as she leaned against the railing of the dock overlooking the water of the New York bay. The gusty wind blowing her brown hair in twists and twirls, sweeping across her face and covering the golden hue of her cheeks.

Liam stepped up beside her, gazing out at the near empty waters before quirking his brow at her, "For?".

Riley beamed enthusiastically tapping him lightly on the shoulder, "For a magical boat ride I've summoned just for you".

He brushes her pale, cool hand across his cheek, then holds it in place, memorizing how she feels- how she made him feel. Her engagement ring dimples his skin and he can't help but recall the night he gave it to her. 

His lips begin to quiver, feeling an ache in his chest he'd never felt before, "Riley'' he wails out, completely overcome by an increasing wave of grief, "darling, don't leave me". 

He turns her hand over and kisses the palm, his lips lingering along each crease and fingertip.  Lowering her hand and placing it gently across her stomach, draped by a white sheet, his eyes turn his gaze to her peaceful, face. Liam traces his thumb along her jawline, caresses her cheek, and trails his finger over her lips. 

Standing side-by-side on the deck of the boat Riley had miraculously summoned on his behalf, he reached for her hand,  “I want you to know that I admire you. Your adventurous spirit. The way you follow your heart”.

She laces her fingers through his, “You can live that way too.''

“If only. My whole life I”ve prepared myself to do what’s best for Cordonia”.

“Well...we’re not in Cordonia now…”, Riley wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, searching his eyes before meeting his lips with hers. They kiss passionately while the mist of the sea rains down on them. 

Liam smiles into her kiss, "You're full of surprises aren't you?"

She leans in for one more kiss and pulls away with a sly grin, "I try".

"I'm glad to have met you, Riley. I'll never forget this night”.

With both hands, he wipes away the tears that have drenched his cheeks and were hanging off his chin. He needed to be closer to her, to feel her body pressed against his and to hold her in his arms. Climbing into the bed beside her with very little room for himself, he rolled to his side and placed one arm under her and with the other, pulled her closer to him, cradling her head snuggly against his neck  Feeling her cold skin against his own flesh, Liam pulled the sheet up around her chest and wrapped her tightly in his arms. This was his Riley after all, he couldn’t help but want to protect her, keep her warm and feeling safe in his arms. He rested the side of his face on top of her head, breathing in the floral scent of her hair that was becoming moistened by the never ending tears that fell into them.

“My love...’, he swallowed between whimpers, his entire body quaking with grief, “I don’t know how to do this love...I don’t...I don’t know what to do without you”.

*****

Outside of her room, a despondent Bastien stood on the other side of the closed door. He could hear every sniffle, every agonizing moan and grief stricken sob that escaped from his King. He, himself, stunned by the entire situation and the loss of a young Queen who took Cordonia by storm. He pondered whether she had ever truly forgiven him for his part in the Applewood incident. Bastien was sure she had, she was always nothing but kind and respectful to him, yet, his regret for that ordeal crashed into his chest like a ton of bricks. 

He glanced over to dozens of guards,  watching over the door to the private wing, noticing that all their training in keeping their emotions in check were failing miserably. Bastien bit his top lip and inhaled deeply through his nose, attempting to maintain some composure, but, knowing this was the saddest situation he had witnessed since Jackson Walker’s death. He remembered the look on a devastated,  young Drake’s face when he told him his father had passed away. 

As if it were some cosmic joke, he turned to see a stunned Drake standing there, both hands in his pockets with that same look of denial again.

Drake knew by Bastien’s demeanor and that of the guards he passed coming in, what her status was, but wouldn't allow his heart to accept it. 

He approached Bastien wearily, breathing heavily from adrenaline and fear, “Where is she Bas, where’s Brook’s...I need to see her.”

Bastien gestured with his weepy eyes to the door and Drake stepped away from him to go inside, but, Bastien grabbed his arm to hold him back.

“You can’t go in there right now, Drake.’

Drake jerked his arm back, “The hell I can’t, she needs me...Liam needs me...and WHERE THE FUCK ARE ALL THE DOCTORS AT, she needs help?”

"Son, keep your voice down'' he muttered, pressing into Drake's chest to ease him away from the door and into the opposite wall. 

Bastien gripped both of Drake’s shoulders and looked into his troubled eyes with a sigh, “Drake..”

“Don’t...don’t you dare say it’, shirking away from him, nodding furiously, “don’t...she’s not…’, his voice becoming weak and raspy, “she not...gone”. Drake weaved around Bastien, gasping for words, his eyes welling up and raised his hand to Riley’s room. He pushed it in quietly, just enough to see his distraught best friend on her hospital bed cradling- his, Brooks. 

Drake reaches out and shoves Riley, who for a second, struggles to keep her footing before toppling over and landing on a soft snow drift.

“Hey!” she yells, prepared to give him a piece of her mind, however, stops herself when she notices the most star-filled sky she had ever laid her eyes on.  The stars shooting, light up the night.

“Drake...:”

He plops down next to her, “Yes, my lady?”

“This is absolutely gorgeous”.

Drake takes in a refreshing breath, “Nothing beats a clear view of the sky during a meteor shower”.

Riley smiles as she watches stars race across the sky; her eyes glistening with astonishment, “I’m glad I didn’t miss this”.

He huffs, “Really? Would’ve figured you’d rather eat bon-bons and dress up tiny dogs, or whatever shit Olivia had planned for the night”.

“Not exactly my scene”, she scoffs.

As they both stare up at the sky, the clouds start to creep across the stars.

“Looks like we were just in time to see this before the storm comes”.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to miss it”, he rubs a hand over his face, “I used to do this with my sister, Savannah, every year. We grew up around the royals. My dad used to do security for Liam and his brother, and my sister and I were allowed to hang out with them. My sister, she’s...she’s been through a lot”.

“Wow, did Drake Walker just open up to me, maybe trust me a little?”.

“I don’t trust a lot of people, Brooks, but maybe I do trust you”.

“Drake, that’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to anyone”.

“Heh, maybe”.

As more snowflakes continue to fall, Drake sighed, “I better get you back. It’d be quite a scandal if I let one of the Prince’s suitors freeze to death out here on my watch’.

“I’d hate for my untimely demise to cause you any difficulty’, 

He stands from the snow, sweeping the flakes from his backside and extends his hand to Riley, “Let’s go back in”.

Drake’s body began to shake and his chest tightened as he closed the door back gingerly. He turned to face Bastien, feeling a weakness he hadn’t experienced in many years and fell limply to his knees.

********

Maxwell didn’t need an alarm clock to wake up, his energy and alertness kicked in at 5:00 every morning, ready to go. He threw the panda comforter Hana bought him for Christmas off and stretched heartily, contemplating whether to get in an early morning jog or eat a bowl of brownie ripple ice cream before feeding the peacocks. “It’s always the ice cream, ain’t that  right, Drake Jr”, he spoke to the guinea pig staring at him from its cage. He threw on a blue, cashmere robe to conceal his Batman boxers, since Savannah didn’t approve of him walking around naked in the estate. 

After using the restroom, he headed to the dark kitchen on the first floor, flipping on the lights and grabbing a serving spoon out of a utensil drawer. He stood in front of the open freezer door, trying to decide whether he wanted the brownie ripple or the mint chocolate chip, “what the hell, let’s live dangerously”, reaching for both of them. 

Maxwell flopped back on the couch with both cartons of ice cream and his serving spoon, sitting them both beside him before snatching the remote from the coffee table. He dug out a hearty spoonful of brownie ripple and licked on it while flipping through the channels.

“We have an unconfirmed report that the Queen of Cordonia has passed away unexpectedly. Sources right now are trying to reach the Royal Press office for confirmation”. 

Maxwell’s hand shook with panic as he flipped to the next channel and the next, each one reporting the breaking news alert with Riley face plastered in the backdrop.

He dropped his spoon in the container and tossed it off of him, desperately searching the pockets of his robe for his cell phone. When he found it, he pulled up his messages and found dozens of texts from reporters wanting him to confirm her passing.

“What the fuck is going on?”.

Maxwell flipped desperately to his contacts and tried to call Riley...no answer. He tried Liam several times, each one going to voicemail. Overwhelming fear set in as he pushed the number for Drake, hoping he may have heard something...anything.

Maxwell cleared his throat, a collection of bile had stifled his voice, “Drake, please tell me it’s not true”. 

What he heard was not what he wanted to hear; he didn’t end the call, just loosely allowed his phone to slip from his ear and crash to the floor,  his lip quivering, “Little Blossom”.

Maxwell watches a forlorn Riley waiting at the corner across from the bar he met her the previous night. After she gets  clearing to cross, he pipes up through the sunroof of the limo parked in front and waves his arms wildly.

“Riley!”, he shouts and she approaches him with a bit of confusion and hesitation.

“Maxwell, right?

“Yeah, I'm glad I caught you. We’re heading back to Cordonia so Liam can find someone to marry and all that jazz. But before I go, I wanted to officially extend to you an invitation to join us for the festivities in Cordonia”.

“Huh?”.

“You wouldn’t be allowed to join...but I wanted to sponsor you!”.

Riley furrowed her brow, “You...want to sponsor...me”, she snickered, “is this a joke?”.

“Nah, girl. I’m from a noble house, but I don’t have any sisters, so we don’t have anyone in contention to marry the Prince. Instead we can sponsor any girl we choose. And you’re my pick!”.

Riley shook her head, slightly taken aback, yet, intrigued by his proposal,  animated use of hand gestures and liveliness, “You want to sponsor me? Why?”,

“I’m not doing it for you. I saw how LIam looked at you last night. I’ve never seen him so happy. Honestly? I don’t want him to lose that. We’re kinda crunched for time though. I’ve got a plane leaving within the hour…”

Riley looks around at her bleak surroundings, shifting anxiously at the thought of seeing Liam again, getting away from the boredom and dread that had become her life, and the absolute hell that was waitressing at the bar that stood in front of her. She looked up at Maxwell, a large grin plastered on her face, “I”m in”.

“Yeah”, Maxwell pumped his fist in the air, causing the limo to bounce, “Go pack your bag. This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime”.

Maxwell glanced up at the fireplace, where a selfie of he and Riley posing with the mechanical bull at the American bar during Drake’s birthday, sat in a glittery frame. He felt the blood drain from his face, nausea building in the pit of his stomach and he bolted from the couch, “Bertrand!”

*******

Liam stayed with Riley for over an hour before kissing her once more, making promises to love her forever and take care of Ellie; hoping she would be everything her mother was.

He reached the door of her room and looked back once more as a nurse was carefully placing the sheet to cover her entire body. After exiting the room, he was met by Drake, who pulled him into a hug that didn’t end for several minutes while both wept into the other. 

The guards cleared the halls that led to a private exit, hoping to avoid any and all press or prying eyes. Bastien returned and escorted Liam and Drake through the cordoned off hallways and passages that led to a private car, so not to be followed. 

Liam’s mind was in a complete tailspin. Thoughts of what took place, how a young, vibrant woman dies suddenly without warning, and how the hell he was going to live the rest of his life without her. He was a King  without his Queen, a husband without his wife, and a father without the mother of his child. Nothing made sense, but there was no time to try to make any sense of it; he had a country waiting anxiously to hear word on the fate of his wife and a newborn baby that he was now the sole parent for. In all of his heartbreak, Liam wanted to run far away, to scream, to take all of his anger and grief out on something. 

Bastien maneuvered the car through the throngs of press and people that had amassed around the gates of the palace. Entering through the garage of the palace, he parked the car and Liam jumped out before the door could be opened for him. Drake offered to stay with him, but Liam heard nothing. He wanted to get back to his quarters as quickly as possible, away from everyone and the flurry of questions he had no answers for. This was a new life for Liam, one that he hadn’t fully digested yet, nor believed he ever would. 

He opened the door to his quarters, stepping slowly inside to the darkened foyer, passing listlessly through into the living room. Remnants of Riley scattered throughout from the pictures on the walls, her favorite throw blanket folded neatly on the ottoman, and a vase of purple lilies he bought her yesterday, adorned on the sofa table. Moving to the ottoman, he picked up the throw blanket and sat down on the sofa, lifting the blanket to his nose and inhaling sharply. Her scent lingering from the soft fabric and memories of her laugh, her giggles, the playfulness she exuded flooding through him. He gripped her throw tightly, slumping down onto the floor and began to sob uncontrollably into it. This was his reality, one that he would never accept.